Recently the Ultimate Frisbee Club at school challenged the faculty to a game, played after school today.
Is it amazing how fast those kids move, or how slowly we do now?
As far as I'm concerned, the faculty/alumni team won. There are ways to interpret the final score, however, to give the opposite result.
That tub can't heat up fast enough!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Those Wacky Libertarians!
They seem to think those first 10 amendments to the Constitution actually mean what they say.
Math Can Be Fun--And Tasty!
Sometimes the most trivial-sounding problems can involve some intense math. Who ever would have thought that cutting and eating pizza could involve decades of work?
The problem that bothered them was this. Suppose the harried waiter cuts the pizza off-centre, but with all the edge-to-edge cuts crossing at a single point, and with the same angle between adjacent cuts. The off-centre cuts mean the slices will not all be the same size, so if two people take turns to take neighbouring slices, will they get equal shares by the time they have gone right round the pizza - and if not, who will get more?...
As with many mathematical conundrums, the answer has arrived in stages - each looking at different possible cases of the problem.
Tuesday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
The Go-Gos.
Today's question is:
What is the only US possession/territory that lies south of the equator? (No, the Antarctic bases don't count as possessions/territories.)
The Go-Gos.
Today's question is:
What is the only US possession/territory that lies south of the equator? (No, the Antarctic bases don't count as possessions/territories.)
Monday, December 14, 2009
Double Down on Teacher Retirement Losses
The major Sacramento newspaper reports that the State Teachers Retirement System not only lost big bucks in real estate, but is going to throw good money after bad to try to recoup some of the losses:
When I try that strategy in Reno it usually doesn't work well. Here's to hoping that it works better for CalSTRS.
I guess I don't have to worry, though. The taxpayers are going to pay for my retirement regardless of whether or not CalSTRS makes good investments.
Ricardo Duran, a spokesman for the pension fund, said CalSTRS has written off $64 million invested in Fairfield Residential LLC, a major apartment developer based in San Diego. Fairfield filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization Sunday.
"It's been written off at this point," Duran said. "Current market value: zero."
However, the California State Teachers' Retirement System isn't abandoning the deal. It still plans to invest an additional $6 million to complete its original commitment of $70 million and believes there's a chance to recover at least some of its losses, he said.
When I try that strategy in Reno it usually doesn't work well. Here's to hoping that it works better for CalSTRS.
I guess I don't have to worry, though. The taxpayers are going to pay for my retirement regardless of whether or not CalSTRS makes good investments.
A Rose By Any Other Name
I couldn't say this any more clearly myself:
Quote of the Week. "When your boss gives you a check and says you either have to give up part of it or lose your job, that's extortion." - Stephen Conn, former (and future?) candidate for president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, discussing the district's proposal in which teachers would agree to a $250 deduction from their bi-weekly paychecks to close a $219 million budget deficit. (December 12 Detroit News)
All right, Stephen. If it's extortion when your boss does it, what is it when your union does it?
Media Bias
al-AP assigns 11 writers to "fact check" Sarah Palin's new book, but only 5 to analyze the leaked emails from the Climate Research Unit in Britain.
Media bias? No, nothing to see here, move right along please.
Media bias? No, nothing to see here, move right along please.
Monday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
The Happy Hooker.
Today's question is:
What early-80's band consisted of members Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine, and Gina Schock?
The Happy Hooker.
Today's question is:
What early-80's band consisted of members Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine, and Gina Schock?
Not Looking Good For The Home Team
All teachers have heard the old saying that begins with, "Those who can, do..." and this doesn't give us any wiggle room:
Scores vary greatly with the gifted programs, not surprisingly, leading the pack. Among the programs with abysmal math scores and very poor English scores is the Teacher Training Magnet at troubled Crenshaw High.
$7 Coat At Wal*Mart
Even though I'll be boycotting my local Wal*Mart during the month of January (see here for the reason), I still enjoy stories like this.
I'll bet they put his groceries in a bag, though.
And I've got to toss in this quote:
I found the basketball court sized area marked ‘MEN’ and turned in. Fleece coats, fleece vests, overcoats, Dickie work coats, and then winter coats in the quilted style that simply shouts, “You’ll stay toasty inside even in Nome!” And, amidst three or four circular racks, I saw a selection in blue, grey, black, green, and red of bright and shiny new winter coats. Above the racks was the simple sign in red and it said: “$7”.
Yes, I blinked and looked away. I looked back. It still said: “$7”. Above it a smaller sign said, almost in apology, “Was $15.”
I'll bet they put his groceries in a bag, though.
And I've got to toss in this quote:
Then I remembered that this town has something that Seattle didn’t because Seattle is just far too “smart” to have one – A Wal-Mart.True enough.
Wal-Mart, the greatest thing to happen for working people in the United States since trade unions and, today, a lot more beneficial to them as well.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Coed Bunking At Columbia
I think this could be a valuable learning experience:
This is awesome. Let these kids (and yes, college students, to someone my age you are kids) shack up. Learn how difficult it can be to live with someone. Learn about the compromises that must be made to keep a "home", and how just enjoying sex isn't enough.
After they move in and out a couple times, maybe they won't be so quick to shack up in the future, when they're out in the real world. And maybe they won't enter into marriage blindly.
Columbia University students of the opposite sex will soon be allowed to share dorm rooms -- or, as the New York Post puts it in a 1950s time-warp of an article, "live in sin ... on their parents' dime"...
As of next fall, the school will institute "gender-neutral" housing on campus for all students except for freshmen. This will mean that students can select roommates regardless of their sex, and hetero couples can shack up together. You know what that means: Sexy time.
This is awesome. Let these kids (and yes, college students, to someone my age you are kids) shack up. Learn how difficult it can be to live with someone. Learn about the compromises that must be made to keep a "home", and how just enjoying sex isn't enough.
After they move in and out a couple times, maybe they won't be so quick to shack up in the future, when they're out in the real world. And maybe they won't enter into marriage blindly.
Sunday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question, the last in UN Week, is:
San Francisco, in 1945.
Today's question is:
What was Xaviera Hollander's nom de plume?
Next Sunday will begin another theme week--Classic Movie Lines Week!
San Francisco, in 1945.
Today's question is:
What was Xaviera Hollander's nom de plume?
Next Sunday will begin another theme week--Classic Movie Lines Week!
Interviewing A Global Warming Nutjob
The video is 10 minutes long, but it's wildly entertaining. Lord Monckton shreds this Greenpeace supporter.
Lord Monckton: "What is interesting to me is that you don't know any of the facts about the climate at all, and yet you are wanting to change it in a particular direction. Can you explain why?"
Greenpeace member: "I think we're talking different planets."
Lord Monckton: "If you were to discover that everything I said to you about climate, that we've had global...cooling for 9 years, that we've had less hurricane activity recently than at any time in the last 30 years, that there has been no change in the extent of global sea ice, or virtually no change for the last 30 years--would you think that therefore the organization that you believe in (Greenpeace) has mislead you?"
Greenpeace supporter: "No."
There's a reason I call it the Church of Global Warming.
Update: The leaked emails from East Anglia mention this man. A lot. Has anyone shown him to be on the payroll of Big Oil?
Lord Monckton: "What is interesting to me is that you don't know any of the facts about the climate at all, and yet you are wanting to change it in a particular direction. Can you explain why?"
Greenpeace member: "I think we're talking different planets."
Lord Monckton: "If you were to discover that everything I said to you about climate, that we've had global...cooling for 9 years, that we've had less hurricane activity recently than at any time in the last 30 years, that there has been no change in the extent of global sea ice, or virtually no change for the last 30 years--would you think that therefore the organization that you believe in (Greenpeace) has mislead you?"
Greenpeace supporter: "No."
There's a reason I call it the Church of Global Warming.
Update: The leaked emails from East Anglia mention this man. A lot. Has anyone shown him to be on the payroll of Big Oil?
The political stakes are now so high when it comes to the “Climategate” scandal, and motives are being questioned so loudly on both sides, that few are noticing the remarkable story at the heart of it all: a 62-year-old mining executive and squash enthusiast has, for better or worse, found his way into the centre of a major scientific melée—almost by accident—and been able to make legitimate contributions.
McIntyre first became notorious in 2003 for his statistical critique, co-authored with economist Ross McKitrick, of the “hockey stick graph” that showed global temperatures rocketing upward in the 20th century.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Saturday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
Palestine, and the Holy See.
Today's question, the last in United Nations Week, is:
In which city, and in what year, was the UN Charter signed?
Palestine, and the Holy See.
Today's question, the last in United Nations Week, is:
In which city, and in what year, was the UN Charter signed?
Liveblogging Today's 110th Army-Navy Game
The first Army-Navy football game was played in 1890 at West Point. Navy won 24-0--and that's how it's been since 2001, with Navy winning the last 7 games by a combined score of 274-71 and holding Army to only 3 points total in the last 2 games. The series was tied in 2004, but now Navy leads the series 49-53-7. Army's season record coming into this game is 5-6, Navy's is 8-4.
Given that background, you might wonder why I'd want to liveblog a game that doesn't look good for Army. The answer is simple: Army is my team.
Beat Navy!
11:35 am PST: What an inspirational commercial!
And a proud "thank you" to CBS Sports for streaming today's game live on the internet.
15:00 in the 1st Quarter: Navy kicks off, and what a return by Army!
13:20 Lousy series, short punt by Army, covered well.
Strange defense by Army: 3 linemen, 3 linebackers, 5 db's. It's 4th and a foot, defense is disciplined and doesn't get pulled offsides, timeout Navy.
Fair catch by Army at their own 42. Bring on the offense!
And now the announcers mention the spirit videos. Navy always wins those.
10:30 Army gets the first 1st down of the game.
9:20 Army gets the second 1st down of the game. Let's keep this up.
7:05 47 yard field goal kick is wide left. As they'd say on Battlestar Galactica: frak.
4:00 Army holds against Navy and takes the fair catch inside their own 30.
3:17 Planned pass, crappy pass. Dance with the one that brung ya, Army.
2:00 Another planned pass, shoulda coulda woulda been caught.
1:55 Bad series for Army. Penalty on 3rd down is declined, Army will punt.
1:19 INTERCEPTION! on Navy's 40, runs it down the sideline to the Navy 12, first and goal!
Apparently Army has a crappy record inside the red zone, and today is no different. 23 yard field goal is GOOD! Still, it's been over 2 years since Army's been in the end zone. This is Army's first lead in the game in 3 years.
With seconds left in the 1st Quarter, both defenses have been playing well.
13:07 in the 2nd Quarter: FUMBLE! ARMY BALL!
13:00 Fumbled snap, Army recovers.
11:30 Army punts, fair catch inside the Navy 20.
During the commercial, Navy has an awesome CGI spirit video.
AFLAC trivia question: when was the last time both teams qualified for a bowl game in the same season?
9:33 Long pass for Navy, shoestring tackle inside the 10. Flag on the play....
9:21 Timeout, Army. Still no indication what the foul is.
Holding, Navy. No long pass. Ball back inside Navy's 30. I'm sure we'll see that long pass again.
8:40 Very next play! Ball off the player's fingertips, another penalty (declined), 4th down. Long punt, Army downs it inside the 18.
8:21 Army tries a reverse with a pass downfield, almost intercepted.
7:00 Army comes up short, 4th down.
6:10 Crappy punt, fortunately Army could protect the roll down to the Navy 30.
CBS announces the 5 Heisman winners from the two schools, the first 3 from Army and the last 2 from Navy. Staubach in '63 was the last one.
AFLAC trivia answer: 1996. Army went to the Independence Bowl, Navy to the Aloha Bowl.
4:10 Another long pass for Navy, brought back by holding.
1:53 Army is 2/8 in 3rd down conversions, now 2/9. Punt coming up after the commercial. Navy will have a shot at the end zone before the half, and they'll receive the kickoff after the half.
1:37 Another crappy punt that the announcer correctly says never got more than 10 yards off the ground. Army covered the roll down to the 39.
Navy's out of timeouts, will play for the sideline.
1:09 3rd and 11, now 4th and 9. What will Navy do?
Army tried to block the punt, fair caught at the 20. 55 seconds remaining in the half. Army has 0 yards passing. Run it up the gut to run down the clock, and then a stupid pass! Go in to the locker room with the lead, don't try to be a hero--there's a whole half remaining.
:15 Army takes my advice and kneels.
Stat on the screen: first halftime deficit for Navy since 2001--Army's last victory.
I called and left a voice mail for one of my midshipmen--just in case the outcome at the end of the 2nd half is reversed!
14:55 in the 3rd Quarter, Navy 1st and 10 on the 32.
13:33 Second 3rd down conversion for Navy, as a pass down the right sideline is complete.
11:10 Army is having trouble tackling the Navy quarterback....
10:14 4th and a foot, Navy timeout.
10:06, 1st down Navy.
Navy has a good drive going, now down inside Army's 30. Defense needs to tighten up, and wrap up when they're tackling.
8:55 Touchdown, Navy. Wide open on the pass. Army has been doing a lousy job all day on pass defense, getting lucky with a couple penalties, but no such luck this time.
8:04 Official timeout for an injured Navy player on the sideout. He appears to be holding his arm.
Compared to other football games, this one has been relatively flag-free. Good discipline being shown by both teams.
Now we get to see if Army can get its offense working.
7:47 Army cannot. 4th down. Another pooch punt, covered and downed by Army inside the 30.
4:50 And now Army jumps offsides, with Navy on our half of the field. Tighten up guys, don't fall apart.
4:18 I write that, and now Army has a man down. Looks like a knee injury.
:11 Army holds Navy to a field goal, now trailing 10-3. That's a small victory, but too many such victories and I won't like the outcome of this game.
Army needs a touchdown.
12:00 in the 4th Quarter, Army's thrown a couple passes and now the receiver fumbles. Fortunately he recovers.
10:22 Another missed field goal for Army. Are we to go three full years without getting in the end zone?
8:00 Turnover, and Navy's in scoring position.
7:00 Army cannot tackle that Navy quarterback, 1st and goal at the 1.
6:15 Another touchdown. Army's going to have a very difficult time coming back from this deficit this late in the game. 17-3.
2:47 and Army's in the red zone again, but 3 bad pass plays bring up 4th down. Timeout, Army.
2:36 and Navy intercepts in the end zone. Frak.
1:27 Squids are singing Na Na Hey Hey Good-bye, and with good reason.
0:00 It's over. The last time the score was 17-3 was 1987. I watched the game on a Sony Watchman downrange Fort Carson, as someone had stupidly scheduled a Chaparral live fire on the day of The Game. We grads kept sneaking away to catch up on the game. The outcome then was more to my liking, that's for sure.
Navy played a good game. Army played better than they've played for awhile.
Here's to next year!
Given that background, you might wonder why I'd want to liveblog a game that doesn't look good for Army. The answer is simple: Army is my team.
Beat Navy!
11:35 am PST: What an inspirational commercial!
And a proud "thank you" to CBS Sports for streaming today's game live on the internet.
15:00 in the 1st Quarter: Navy kicks off, and what a return by Army!
13:20 Lousy series, short punt by Army, covered well.
Strange defense by Army: 3 linemen, 3 linebackers, 5 db's. It's 4th and a foot, defense is disciplined and doesn't get pulled offsides, timeout Navy.
Fair catch by Army at their own 42. Bring on the offense!
And now the announcers mention the spirit videos. Navy always wins those.
10:30 Army gets the first 1st down of the game.
9:20 Army gets the second 1st down of the game. Let's keep this up.
7:05 47 yard field goal kick is wide left. As they'd say on Battlestar Galactica: frak.
4:00 Army holds against Navy and takes the fair catch inside their own 30.
3:17 Planned pass, crappy pass. Dance with the one that brung ya, Army.
2:00 Another planned pass, shoulda coulda woulda been caught.
1:55 Bad series for Army. Penalty on 3rd down is declined, Army will punt.
1:19 INTERCEPTION! on Navy's 40, runs it down the sideline to the Navy 12, first and goal!
Apparently Army has a crappy record inside the red zone, and today is no different. 23 yard field goal is GOOD! Still, it's been over 2 years since Army's been in the end zone. This is Army's first lead in the game in 3 years.
With seconds left in the 1st Quarter, both defenses have been playing well.
13:07 in the 2nd Quarter: FUMBLE! ARMY BALL!
13:00 Fumbled snap, Army recovers.
11:30 Army punts, fair catch inside the Navy 20.
During the commercial, Navy has an awesome CGI spirit video.
AFLAC trivia question: when was the last time both teams qualified for a bowl game in the same season?
9:33 Long pass for Navy, shoestring tackle inside the 10. Flag on the play....
9:21 Timeout, Army. Still no indication what the foul is.
Holding, Navy. No long pass. Ball back inside Navy's 30. I'm sure we'll see that long pass again.
8:40 Very next play! Ball off the player's fingertips, another penalty (declined), 4th down. Long punt, Army downs it inside the 18.
8:21 Army tries a reverse with a pass downfield, almost intercepted.
7:00 Army comes up short, 4th down.
6:10 Crappy punt, fortunately Army could protect the roll down to the Navy 30.
CBS announces the 5 Heisman winners from the two schools, the first 3 from Army and the last 2 from Navy. Staubach in '63 was the last one.
AFLAC trivia answer: 1996. Army went to the Independence Bowl, Navy to the Aloha Bowl.
4:10 Another long pass for Navy, brought back by holding.
1:53 Army is 2/8 in 3rd down conversions, now 2/9. Punt coming up after the commercial. Navy will have a shot at the end zone before the half, and they'll receive the kickoff after the half.
1:37 Another crappy punt that the announcer correctly says never got more than 10 yards off the ground. Army covered the roll down to the 39.
Navy's out of timeouts, will play for the sideline.
1:09 3rd and 11, now 4th and 9. What will Navy do?
Army tried to block the punt, fair caught at the 20. 55 seconds remaining in the half. Army has 0 yards passing. Run it up the gut to run down the clock, and then a stupid pass! Go in to the locker room with the lead, don't try to be a hero--there's a whole half remaining.
:15 Army takes my advice and kneels.
Stat on the screen: first halftime deficit for Navy since 2001--Army's last victory.
I called and left a voice mail for one of my midshipmen--just in case the outcome at the end of the 2nd half is reversed!
14:55 in the 3rd Quarter, Navy 1st and 10 on the 32.
13:33 Second 3rd down conversion for Navy, as a pass down the right sideline is complete.
11:10 Army is having trouble tackling the Navy quarterback....
10:14 4th and a foot, Navy timeout.
10:06, 1st down Navy.
Navy has a good drive going, now down inside Army's 30. Defense needs to tighten up, and wrap up when they're tackling.
8:55 Touchdown, Navy. Wide open on the pass. Army has been doing a lousy job all day on pass defense, getting lucky with a couple penalties, but no such luck this time.
8:04 Official timeout for an injured Navy player on the sideout. He appears to be holding his arm.
Compared to other football games, this one has been relatively flag-free. Good discipline being shown by both teams.
Now we get to see if Army can get its offense working.
7:47 Army cannot. 4th down. Another pooch punt, covered and downed by Army inside the 30.
4:50 And now Army jumps offsides, with Navy on our half of the field. Tighten up guys, don't fall apart.
4:18 I write that, and now Army has a man down. Looks like a knee injury.
:11 Army holds Navy to a field goal, now trailing 10-3. That's a small victory, but too many such victories and I won't like the outcome of this game.
Army needs a touchdown.
12:00 in the 4th Quarter, Army's thrown a couple passes and now the receiver fumbles. Fortunately he recovers.
10:22 Another missed field goal for Army. Are we to go three full years without getting in the end zone?
8:00 Turnover, and Navy's in scoring position.
7:00 Army cannot tackle that Navy quarterback, 1st and goal at the 1.
6:15 Another touchdown. Army's going to have a very difficult time coming back from this deficit this late in the game. 17-3.
2:47 and Army's in the red zone again, but 3 bad pass plays bring up 4th down. Timeout, Army.
2:36 and Navy intercepts in the end zone. Frak.
1:27 Squids are singing Na Na Hey Hey Good-bye, and with good reason.
0:00 It's over. The last time the score was 17-3 was 1987. I watched the game on a Sony Watchman downrange Fort Carson, as someone had stupidly scheduled a Chaparral live fire on the day of The Game. We grads kept sneaking away to catch up on the game. The outcome then was more to my liking, that's for sure.
Navy played a good game. Army played better than they've played for awhile.
Here's to next year!
What An Awesome Excuse!
I'm going to file this excuse away in case I ever need a good one:
Nice one. Idiot.
Seven-year-old Lamya Cammon was absentmindedly playing with her braids, which have plastic beads on their ends. The noise annoyed her first-grade teacher. The teacher called Lamya to the front of the room, cut off one of her braids, and sent her back to her seat, crying. The teacher ultimately apologized to Lamya’s mother and was fined $175 by police for disorderly conduct. She remains in the classroom but Lamya was assigned to a different teacher.
That would be the end of this unremarkable story if not for the efforts of Mr. Hatch, who told WISN-TV on camera:“As budget constraints get tighter every year, the stress level and frustrations do increase.”
Friday, December 11, 2009
In Loco Parentis
Universities. Stupid rules. What a surprise.
Then passers-by need to get their glasses checked. And University officials need to concern themselves with more substantial issues than Nerf guns.
I'm just saying.
It was a rough week for gun rights in Colorado.
First, Colorado State University voted to ban concealed firearms on campus.
Then the University of Colorado went a few steps further and cracked down on another nefarious threat: Nerf guns...
"No guns of any kind, real or toy, from air rifles to paintball guns to Nerf guns, are allowed on campus under the laws of the regents," said a statement issued by Joe E. Roy, chief of police at the University of Colorado Police Department. "We are simply enforcing a longstanding policy, not inventing a new category of enforcement"...
Chief Roy noted that Nerf guns can look real to passers-by at a distance.
Then passers-by need to get their glasses checked. And University officials need to concern themselves with more substantial issues than Nerf guns.
I'm just saying.
Friday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Running a close second is The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and rounding out the top three is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Today's question is:
Identify either of the two non-member states/entities that are considered “observers” at the UN.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Running a close second is The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and rounding out the top three is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Today's question is:
Identify either of the two non-member states/entities that are considered “observers” at the UN.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
What Is It With Language Teachers?
The only teacher I've ever heard mention having sex in his/her classroom was a teacher who also used to volunteer to teach English to migrant farmworkers. She talked about how she'd bring them to her classroom at school late at night on weekends--because, get this, taking them to her apartment would be too weird!
Oh, I have lots of stories about that one.
She was young, reasonably attractive, academically intelligent, and odd as a three dollar bill. I wonder if she'd fit in with this crowd:
Of course, nothing is proven yet and the district is investigating.
Bow shicka bow shicka bow-wow.
Oh, I have lots of stories about that one.
She was young, reasonably attractive, academically intelligent, and odd as a three dollar bill. I wonder if she'd fit in with this crowd:
Two female Romance language instructors were tossed out of their Brooklyn high school after being caught "undressed" in an empty classroom, sources told the Daily News Tuesday.
Students at James Madison High School in Midwood were watching a talent show in the auditorium while Alini Brito and Cindy Mauro were speaking the international language of love, sources said.
Of course, nothing is proven yet and the district is investigating.
Bow shicka bow shicka bow-wow.
Thursday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
Montenegro, on June 28, 2006.
Today's question is:
Which UN member state has the longest official name?
Montenegro, on June 28, 2006.
Today's question is:
Which UN member state has the longest official name?
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
It Was a Different Time, Post-Pearl Harbor
All of us, especially those of us who grew up in California, know about the executive order that compelled Japanese and Japanese-Americans to be incarcerated at the beginning of World War II. I attended Kohler Elementary, on the grounds of the former Camp Kohler, which we knew had been a Japanese relocation center (historical marker information here). As a child I played and built forts in the ruins and remnants of Camp Kohler. So stories like this strike very close to home here in the Central Valley:
It happened almost 70 years ago. In the interim a national apology has been issued, and financial reparations have been paid. I've known two people who were relocated and imprisoned, and they were both babies at the time.
I guess this is a nice gesture, but I wonder whom the intended audience is, and why.
Japanese-Americans who were forced from their studies in the 1940s at the University of California, Davis will be given honorary degrees Saturday.
Forty-seven people who were students at UC Davis when the United States entered World War II will receive honorary degrees, although few will attend. Some of those being honored will be represented by friends and family.
It happened almost 70 years ago. In the interim a national apology has been issued, and financial reparations have been paid. I've known two people who were relocated and imprisoned, and they were both babies at the time.
I guess this is a nice gesture, but I wonder whom the intended audience is, and why.
Litmus Test For Teachers
I posted a few weeks ago about the University of Minnesota's ideological litmus test for students enrolled in its teacher education program; I feel a little better now that FIRE is involved.
Of course the university spokesman says FIRE has it all wrong, but you can go here and see the inflammatory report for yourself.
The task group, formed as part of the Teacher Education Redesign Initiative at the state university, aims to change how future teachers are trained, based on the assertion that the teachers' lack of "cultural competence" contributes to minority students' poor grades...
But the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) says the Race, Culture, Class and Gender group is going beyond addressing how teachers are educated and is trying instead to mandate their beliefs and values.
"Unlike what many schools of education have in terms of cultural competence, this task group really wants to invade the minds of future teachers and demand that they hold the 'right' values attitudes and beliefs about society, about themselves, and about race, class, culture, and gender, to a degree to which it really violates the freedom of conscience of future teachers," Adam Kissel, Director of FIRE's Individual Rights Defense Program, told FoxNews.com.
Of course the university spokesman says FIRE has it all wrong, but you can go here and see the inflammatory report for yourself.
Wow. Schools sure are hotbeds of racism. Who knew all those liberal, union-supporting teachers were racists! I blame the NEA.Some of the proposed curriculum requirements are:
• "Future teachers will be able to discuss their own histories and current thinking drawing on notions of white privilege, hegemonic masculinity, heteronormativity, and internalized oppression."
• Teachers will be able to articulate a "critical analysis of this story of America, for what it illuminates and what it hides or distorts" including:
- "myth of meritocracy in the United States"- "historical connections between scientific racism, intelligence testing, and assumptions of fixed mental capacity"
- "alternative explanations for mobility (and lack of it)"
- "history of demands for assimilation to white, middle-class, Christian meanings and values"
- "history of white racism, with special focus on current colorblind ideology"
• "Future teachers are able to explain how institutional racism works in schools" and recognize that "schools and classrooms are often structured in ways that advantage and disadvantage some groups but are also critical sites for social and cultural transformation."
Meat and Poultry Used In School Lunches
The following article from USA Today, while good enough in its own right, leads to some serious and important questions. First, though, let's excerpt from the story:
This story is focused on the appalling fact that food that wouldn't pass inspection in a fast-food joint is routinely fed to schoolchildren, compliments of the US government (insert snarky comment about the potential for government-run health care here!).
But I have a more fundamental question: why is the US government buying food and providing it to local school districts? How did anyone determine this was a good idea? I give state governments a lot of latitude to do stupid things in our republic, as state constitutions are limited only by the people of the state and the people can grant whatever powers they want to the state governments. But the US Constitution is limited by enumerated powers granted by the states, and those powers not granted under the Constitution are supposed to be reserved to the states and to the people. That we have gotten so far from that structure that Congress now dictates how many gallons of water your toilet can flush, that the USDA can buy and distribute meat and poultry to local school districts, that Congress can consider whether or not a college football game can be called a "championship game" or not, I'm forced to repeat my statement from this post: maybe it's time to refresh Jefferson's tree of liberty.
In the past three years, the government has provided the nation's schools with millions of pounds of beef and chicken that wouldn't meet the quality or safety standards of many fast-food restaurants, from Jack in the Box and other burger places to chicken chains such as KFC, a USA TODAY investigation found.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the meat it buys for the National School Lunch Program "meets or exceeds standards in commercial products."
That isn't always the case. McDonald's, Burger King and Costco, for instance, are far more rigorous in checking for bacteria and dangerous pathogens. They test the ground beef they buy five to 10 times more often than the USDA tests beef made for schools during a typical production day.
And the limits Jack in the Box and other big retailers set for certain bacteria in their burgers are up to 10 times more stringent than what the USDA sets for school beef.
For chicken, the USDA has supplied schools with thousands of tons of meat from old birds that might otherwise go to compost or pet food. Called "spent hens" because they're past their egg-laying prime, the chickens don't pass muster with Colonel Sanders— KFC won't buy them — and they don't pass the soup test, either. The Campbell Soup Company says it stopped using them a decade ago based on "quality considerations"...
USDA-purchased meat is donated to almost every school district in the country and served to 31 million students a day, 62% of whom qualify for free or reduced-price meals. President Obama noted earlier this year that, for many children, school lunches are "their most nutritious meal — sometimes their only meal — of the day."
This story is focused on the appalling fact that food that wouldn't pass inspection in a fast-food joint is routinely fed to schoolchildren, compliments of the US government (insert snarky comment about the potential for government-run health care here!).
But I have a more fundamental question: why is the US government buying food and providing it to local school districts? How did anyone determine this was a good idea? I give state governments a lot of latitude to do stupid things in our republic, as state constitutions are limited only by the people of the state and the people can grant whatever powers they want to the state governments. But the US Constitution is limited by enumerated powers granted by the states, and those powers not granted under the Constitution are supposed to be reserved to the states and to the people. That we have gotten so far from that structure that Congress now dictates how many gallons of water your toilet can flush, that the USDA can buy and distribute meat and poultry to local school districts, that Congress can consider whether or not a college football game can be called a "championship game" or not, I'm forced to repeat my statement from this post: maybe it's time to refresh Jefferson's tree of liberty.
Carnival of Education
This week's is here and includes my recent post about receiving my agency fee rebate from the CTA.
Wednesday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
Ban-Ki Moon, of Korea.
Today's question is:
What is the newest UN member state?
Ban-Ki Moon, of Korea.
Today's question is:
What is the newest UN member state?
The Founders Must Be So Proud
When you don't limit your government at all, your government will inject itself anywhere it wants to:
Like the BCS or hate it, does Congress have any business getting involved? The congressman who's pushing this, a Republican, says that college football is a business like any other.
You can't simultaneously support this and wonder why the Tea Parties are so popular; the first begets the second.
Congressman, you're an idiot. And if this is what we can expect from our legislature, it might be time to "refresh" Jefferson's tree of liberty.
A top official of the Bowl Championship Series says there are more important things for Congress to worry about than pressing for a playoff system for college football.
But lawmakers were taking a crack at it anyway Wednesday. A House panel was to consider a proposal to ban the promotion of a postseason NCAA Division I football game as a national championship unless it's the outcome of a playoff.
Like the BCS or hate it, does Congress have any business getting involved? The congressman who's pushing this, a Republican, says that college football is a business like any other.
You can't simultaneously support this and wonder why the Tea Parties are so popular; the first begets the second.
Congressman, you're an idiot. And if this is what we can expect from our legislature, it might be time to "refresh" Jefferson's tree of liberty.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Tuesday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Today's question is:
Who is the current UN Secretary-General?
Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Today's question is:
Who is the current UN Secretary-General?
Monday, December 07, 2009
Another "My Union Sucks" Story
Forty minutes ago I posted about Detroit teachers and the pathetic agreement their union negotiated on their behalf. I've just finished reading another "union done me wrong" story:
Would you like to find out your rights regarding union membership in California? Please visit the web site of the California Teachers Empowerment Network and read my CTEN posts by clicking here.
Hat tip to EIA.
After losing a court challenge, several teachers laid off from D.C. public schools are now criticizing the union for not being proactive enough in helping them keep their jobs.Some jurisdictions (like California and most assuredly DC) are so-called fair share states, where teachers are required to pay a union for representation whether they want that representation or not. When the union doesn't have to work for its money, when it doesn't have to "satisfy the customer", when it's entitled to your money by law, it can perform as well or as shabbily as it wants.
Crystal Proctor is one of several teachers who say union lawyers were not well prepared in court when they argued in favor of reinstating the more than 250 teachers. "We don't think that the legal representation was competent," says Proctor. "Watching our attorney perform, it was laughable. It was ridiculous."
Another teacher Natasha Mason says she didn't get replies when she sent emails to her union representative. She says she's gotten "nothing" out of her membership. "I'm totally disappointed," says Mason. "It's a pity we've been paying all this money into people to protect us and represent us and to stand up for what our rights are none of it has been done."
Would you like to find out your rights regarding union membership in California? Please visit the web site of the California Teachers Empowerment Network and read my CTEN posts by clicking here.
Hat tip to EIA.
Cool, But Necessary?
I don't think so, but then again I'm not what's known as an "early adopter" of new technologies (except for Windows Vista):
A picture at the link shows the new device. Imagine opening a book; the left page (screen) would be the text, and the right page (screen) would be the graphics.
I don't see such fragile electronics replacing books in public schools for a very long time. At the college level, where students pay for their books already, there might be a market.
NEWSPAPERS and novels are moving briskly from paper to pixels, but textbooks have yet to find the perfect electronic home. They are readable on laptops and smartphones, but the displays can be eye-taxing. Even dedicated e-readers with their crisp printlike displays can’t handle textbook staples like color illustrations or the videos and Web-linked supplements publishers increasingly supply.
Now there is a new approach that may adapt well to textbook pages: two-screen e-book readers with a traditional e-paper display on one screen and a liquid-crystal display on the other to render graphics like science animations in color.
The dual screens are linked by a central processor so that, for example, a link on the e-paper display can open on the color screen.
A picture at the link shows the new device. Imagine opening a book; the left page (screen) would be the text, and the right page (screen) would be the graphics.
I don't see such fragile electronics replacing books in public schools for a very long time. At the college level, where students pay for their books already, there might be a market.
Detroit Teachers Need A Better Option
If this is the best the Detroit teachers can get out of their union, they should do two things:
1. recall all their union officers, replacing them with people who are worth a darn, and
2. go on strike.
I'm hard pressed to see how going on strike would yield results worse than their union has bargained for on their behalf:
Detroit may very well be doomed.
1. recall all their union officers, replacing them with people who are worth a darn, and
2. go on strike.
I'm hard pressed to see how going on strike would yield results worse than their union has bargained for on their behalf:
Cobo Center filled with a chorus of boos and chants of "No, No, No" Sunday afternoon as Detroit Public School teachers reviewed a tentative contract that will subtract $250 out of each paycheck, or $500 a month.
The money will be given to the district to help plug a $219 million deficit, and it will be returned when they retire... (boldface mine--Darren)
But union leaders say the best offers already are on the table and warned of dire consequences if the deal is defeated.
"Your pay will drastically be reduced and more than 1,500 members will lose their jobs," (union president) Johnson said.
Despite the overwhelming verbal no vote, union officials insist they will not change their original strategy in the next two weeks to try to sway the vote...
(Union Executive Vice President) O'Keefe said the district was asking for concessions that would amount to an average cost of about $51,319 per member. "That's money they'd never get back," he said. "What we're saying is take away $10,000 at zero interest, which we understand they don't like, but at least they'll eventually get it back"...
But Johnson issued an ultimatum. "Please be aware: If this ratification is turned down, and this district declares bankruptcy, seniority is gone, longevity is gone, oversized class payments are gone," he said.
Detroit may very well be doomed.
Unbiased Press
It's bad enough when the press claims to be unbiased but is remarkably biased, but it's even worse when this press is supported by the government!
Which group comes across here as the most biased? Just askin'....
Executives at National Public Radio recently asked the network’s top political correspondent, Mara Liasson, to reconsider her regular appearances on Fox News because of what they perceived as the network’s political bias, two sources familiar with the effort said.
According to a source, Liasson was summoned in early October by NPR’s executive editor for news, Dick Meyer, and the network’s supervising senior Washington editor, Ron Elving. The NPR executives said they had concerns that Fox’s programming had grown more partisan, and they asked Liasson to spend 30 days watching the network.
At a follow-up meeting last month, Liasson reported that she’d seen no significant change in Fox’s programming and planned to continue appearing on the network, the source said.
Which group comes across here as the most biased? Just askin'....
Monday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe.
Today's question is:
What are the three UN member states that begin with V?
Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe.
Today's question is:
What are the three UN member states that begin with V?
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Soldier Nutcrackers
It's good to see that after 8 years of fighting, our soldiers are still popular, even if the war they fight might be less so.
I took these pictures at a local Target store today.
click to enlarge
I took these pictures at a local Target store today.
Sunday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
Kronborg, although it is mistakenly called Elsinore by many.
And now, it's another theme week!
Today's question, the first of United Nations Week, is:
Alphabetically, what are the first and last members of the United Nations?
Kronborg, although it is mistakenly called Elsinore by many.
And now, it's another theme week!
Today's question, the first of United Nations Week, is:
Alphabetically, what are the first and last members of the United Nations?
Mona Charen Nails It
In this column she blasts the president for his gracelessness:
And let's not forget about his shameful position on Honduras, essentially threatening that country with a cutoff of aid and with diplomatic isolation if it didn't restore its legally-removed president.
OK, Mona got one thing wrong. President Reagan didn't really have to deal with the Iranian hostage crisis, as the hostages were released within a few hours of his inauguration. He did, however, have to deal with the resulting loss of American prestige, power, and influence.
This president lacks graciousness. I assert graciousness is far more important in a president than is skill at reading a teleprompter.
Barack Obama is demonstrating bottomless reservoirs of gracelessness. A full 13 months after his election, in the course of justifying the deployment of 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, President Obama could not spare a word of praise for George W. Bush -- not even when recounting the nation's "unified" response to 9/11. To the contrary, throughout his pained recitation of the choices we face in Afghanistan, he adverted at least half a dozen times to the supposed blunders of his predecessor.
It's beginning to sound whiny -- and unpresidential. Enough about the terrible mess he inherited. Let's hear a little more about the tremendous honor that has been bestowed on him. Ronald Reagan inherited a worse situation in 1980 -- inflation at 13.5 percent; the prime rate at 21 percent; the Soviets in Afghanistan; American hostages in Tehran; communist coups in 10 new countries over the previous decade -- but Reagan never impugned his predecessor. As biographer Lou Cannon noted "Reagan ... was generous to Carter in his public statements even though he did not care for him."
George W. Bush showed the same chivalry toward Bill Clinton, declining to breathe a negative word about him -- even when sorely tempted by the pardon scandal that further tarnished an already clouded tenure. Even now, despite the unremitting barrage from his successor, Bush keeps silent, true to his tradition of civility toward opponents.
President Obama is so spiteful that he warps history to fit his prejudices...
He had the gall, after kneecapping Bush, to demand a halt to "rancor" and "partisanship." But the greater outrage was his pious declaration that "we must make it clear to every man, woman, and child around the world who lives under the dark cloud of tyranny that America will speak out on behalf of their human rights"? This from the man whose State Department told China early on that human rights were not our priority; who has decided he can deal with the butchers of Darfur; who averted his eyes from the bloody crackdown on protests in Iran; and who tamely permitted the Chinese to censor his words during his visit.
And let's not forget about his shameful position on Honduras, essentially threatening that country with a cutoff of aid and with diplomatic isolation if it didn't restore its legally-removed president.
OK, Mona got one thing wrong. President Reagan didn't really have to deal with the Iranian hostage crisis, as the hostages were released within a few hours of his inauguration. He did, however, have to deal with the resulting loss of American prestige, power, and influence.
This president lacks graciousness. I assert graciousness is far more important in a president than is skill at reading a teleprompter.
Throwing Teachers Out Of Their Homes And Onto The Streets?
One Southern California school district is looking at 10% teacher pay cuts, retroactive to last July, to help balance its books. Let's hear from the union president:
Can anyone explain to me how a pay cut due to furloughs won't "throw a lot of our teachers out of their homes and onto the streets," but a pay cut without the lost days would?
Of course I'm sympathetic to the teachers here. If I'm going to get a pay cut, I'd want to work less, too. My issue here is with the stupidity and lack of logic in Ms. Soderberg's statement. And she's the one those union members chose to represent them....
Update: I just received the following in an email. Whether it's true or apocryphal, it's funny and applicable:
Vicki Soderberg, president of the Capistrano Unified Education Assn., which represents some 2,200 teachers, said the proposed salary decrease would be dire.
"Asking for a 10% pay cut would throw a lot of our teachers out of their homes and onto the streets," she said.
Teachers would consider furloughs, Soderberg said.
Can anyone explain to me how a pay cut due to furloughs won't "throw a lot of our teachers out of their homes and onto the streets," but a pay cut without the lost days would?
Of course I'm sympathetic to the teachers here. If I'm going to get a pay cut, I'd want to work less, too. My issue here is with the stupidity and lack of logic in Ms. Soderberg's statement. And she's the one those union members chose to represent them....
Update: I just received the following in an email. Whether it's true or apocryphal, it's funny and applicable:
She makes about as much sense as the old Yogi Berra line. When asked if he would like the pizza he just ordered cut into 6 or 8 pieces, Yogi said, "8... I'm really hungry."
The Church of Global Warming Cult Keeps Unravelling
The science is not settled; saying it is doesn't end the discussion.
There are scientists who question this charade, and saying there aren't doesn't end the discussion.
And scientists who don't accede to the Church's demands are blacklisted for their heretical beliefs.
It's hard to admit you were scammed, but CGW acolytes, you were scammed.
Update: How would you describe the president's plan?
We'll need a lot more than just nuclear power plants if we're to make that happen--but no one, not even the president, expects that to happen. So why, I wonder, would he suggest such a thing?
Update #2: The altarboys get huffy:
Update #3: Clearly, this scientist is also in a snit, and is threatening retribution to a New York Times science reporter:
Apparently, threatening people whom you think aren't loyal enough to a theory is how we build a scientific consensus.
The first rule of being stuck in a hole is: quit digging.
Update #4: Here's a good summary of what's going on, including "the science", "the politics", and "the finances".
Update #5, 12/7/09: These physicists are asking the American Physical Society to rescind its political statement on climate change, at least until the extent of the CRU cheating can be determined.
There are scientists who question this charade, and saying there aren't doesn't end the discussion.
And scientists who don't accede to the Church's demands are blacklisted for their heretical beliefs.
Back in those days, it was. I regularly got my research papers published in Nature, that august journal.Climate-gate is a serious blow to the Church, and pretending it isn't won't make it go away and end the discussion.
I also was invited to become trustee, president, vice president, or patron of over 30 organizations, including: WWF, Wildlife Trusts, YHA, Population Concern, Marine Conservation Society, Coral Cay Conservation, Galapagos Conservation Trust, Plantlife, and BTCV. I was also bestowed with media and conservation awards from around the world, including the Dutch Order of the Golden Ark, BAFTA’s Richard Dimbleby Award, and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for Underwater Research.
Then the global warming rot set in.
Now, I wouldn’t want to jump to any conclusions here, but it kind of looks to me like the “small group of scientists” caught out by Climategate are pretty much the same people who make up the vast and strong scientific consensus on global warming and write the official reports that the U.S. and other governments rely on to inform their policy decisions. I’m sure Dr. John P. Holdren, President Obama’s science adviser, has a plausible alternative explanation.
It's hard to admit you were scammed, but CGW acolytes, you were scammed.
Update: How would you describe the president's plan?
Barack Obama, understanding the histrionics required in climate change debates, promises that U.S. emissions in 2050 will be 83 percent below 2005 levels. If so, 2050 emissions will equal those in 1910, when there were 92 million Americans. But there will be 420 million in 2050, so Obama's promise means that per capita emissions then will be about what they were in 1875.
We'll need a lot more than just nuclear power plants if we're to make that happen--but no one, not even the president, expects that to happen. So why, I wonder, would he suggest such a thing?
Update #2: The altarboys get huffy:
A professor who is accusing global warming skeptics of engaging in “tabloid-style character assassination” of scientists, called an American climate skeptic “an assh*le” on the December 4, 2009 live broadcast of BBC’s Newsnight program.When backed into a corner, the typical leftie will resort to name-calling, even profanity. Count on it.
Update #3: Clearly, this scientist is also in a snit, and is threatening retribution to a New York Times science reporter:
Back story: Ever since Chris Horner and I were at a conference together with warmenist Michael Schlesinger of the University of Illinois a couple years ago, Chris and I have been included on Prof. Schesingler's e-mail distribution list, which usually consist of flagging climate news stories. Yesterday we got copied on this message Schlesinger sent to New York Times science reporter Andy Revkin:
Andy:
Copenhagen prostitutes?
Climate prostitutes?
Shame on you for this gutter reportage. [Emphasis added.]
This is the second time this week I have written you thereon, the first about giving space in your blog to the Pielkes.
The vibe that I am getting from here, there and everywhere is that your reportage is very worrisome to most climate scientists.
Of course, your blog is your blog.
But, I sense that you are about to experience the 'Big Cutoff' from those of us who believe we can no longer trust you, me included. [Emphasis added.]
Copenhagen prostitutes?
Unbelievable and unacceptable.
What are you doing and why?
Michael
So what so annoyed Schlesinger? Here's Revkin's offending blog post, which among other things passes along the amusing story of Copenhagen prostitutes offering free sex to climate campaigners....
Apparently, threatening people whom you think aren't loyal enough to a theory is how we build a scientific consensus.
The first rule of being stuck in a hole is: quit digging.
Update #4: Here's a good summary of what's going on, including "the science", "the politics", and "the finances".
Update #5, 12/7/09: These physicists are asking the American Physical Society to rescind its political statement on climate change, at least until the extent of the CRU cheating can be determined.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Saturday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
The Balearic Islands. (I thought *someone* would have gotten that one.)
Today's question is:
What is the name of the actual castle that is said to have been the setting for Hamlet?
There's a new Theme Week tomorrow. Get excited! :)
The Balearic Islands. (I thought *someone* would have gotten that one.)
Today's question is:
What is the name of the actual castle that is said to have been the setting for Hamlet?
There's a new Theme Week tomorrow. Get excited! :)
Still At It
Two years ago I wrote about our school's Secret Snowman program, and how it was explicitly stated on the Secret Snowman form that "Snowman" was used instead of "Santa" so as not to have a religious connotation--even though the gift-giving itself is based on the gifts to the Christ-child from the three wise men!
Looks like we're using the exact same form this year, with the exact same explanation. (Don't recall if we used this form last year or not.)
PC BS.
Looks like we're using the exact same form this year, with the exact same explanation. (Don't recall if we used this form last year or not.)
PC BS.
Compulsory Public "Option" In Student Loans
From the Wall Street Journal:
You'll want to read the whole thing.
There's encouraging news on that other Washington effort to force Americans into a government-run system. The White House plan to drive private lenders out of the market for student loans is igniting a backlash on campus and Capitol Hill.
The typical tale of a free-speech controversy on campus involves administrators landing on some poor undergrad who violates political correctness. But in this story the administrators have been afraid to speak as the Department of Education pressured them to drop private lenders and embrace the department's own Direct Lending (DL) program. The pending bill, which has passed the House but is stalled in the Senate, would ban private lenders from making federally guaranteed loans after July 1, 2010.
Congress has already enacted regulations in recent years to discourage making loans without a federal guarantee. And many lenders have quit the business. Now the White House and Democrats like California Rep. George Miller want to go further and convert students from private loans largely backed by the taxpayer into government loans made and serviced by government and backed by the taxpayer. Think of this as a prelude to how Congress will rig the rules for any public option in health care.
The private lenders have been the most popular choice, while—big surprise—the government's program has a history of shoddy customer service...
Schools got the message. The leader of a large university recently refused to discuss the issue with us on the record, fearful that the feds are taking names.
You'll want to read the whole thing.
I Feel Safer Already
Gotta love press releases like this:
Remember how, during the anthrax scare earlier this decade, people mocked the idea of duct-taping plastic over your windows? Yeah, that.
Oh, but these masks and gloves are only for those who get sick, or those who care for them. Are they expecting millions?
A supervised sick room? School nurses? School nurses? How many schools still provide such services? The school at which I teach has a severely handicapped program, and in that program we have a nurse (not sure if she's there every day or not), so in that regard we're better off than many schools. We certainly don't have a nurse's office, though.
This is a typical bureaucratic non-solution. They can't do much more than this, but this is more theater than real solution. They just want to be seen as doing something.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced a multiagency effort to distribute millions of protective masks and gloves to schools throughout California to help prevent and mitigate the spread of the H1N1 influenza virus and other influenza outbreaks.
Remember how, during the anthrax scare earlier this decade, people mocked the idea of duct-taping plastic over your windows? Yeah, that.
Oh, but these masks and gloves are only for those who get sick, or those who care for them. Are they expecting millions?
The guidance also recommends the use of personal protective equipment in situations when a student becomes ill while at school. The guidance states that students who appear to have influenza-like illness should be sent to a supervised sick room separate from others until they can leave the school campus. CDC recommends that the ill person wear a surgical mask, if they can tolerate it. The CDC guidance also recommends that school nurses or other school staff who are caring for ill students should wear gloves and a respirator face mask, commonly known as an N95 respirator.
A supervised sick room? School nurses? School nurses? How many schools still provide such services? The school at which I teach has a severely handicapped program, and in that program we have a nurse (not sure if she's there every day or not), so in that regard we're better off than many schools. We certainly don't have a nurse's office, though.
This is a typical bureaucratic non-solution. They can't do much more than this, but this is more theater than real solution. They just want to be seen as doing something.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Inappropriate? Silly? Stupid? "Fireable"?
I link, you decide.
Ryan Haraughty, an eighth grade science teacher made, not really a dirty joke, but a dirty allusion in class -- by accident, it sounds like -- and got fired for it for creating a "sexually hostile environment," after a parent complained.
I've Heard of Child Porn, But...
There are sickos of all kinds in this world, even pedophiles. But honestly, I never even considered that there would exist someone like this:
"Ewww" doesn't cut it. "OMFG" might be in the ball park.
The image of UC Davis is squeaky clean. But one of the university employees is accused of keeping a dirty and illegal secret...
Last summer, agents served a search warrant on Xiong's home. On his bedroom computer, agents found 14,000 files of images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct; most of the children ranged in age from newborns to ten years old.
During one chat, the sender of some of the images asked Xiong what age he preferred. Xiong's reply was "All.. Babies too."
"Ewww" doesn't cut it. "OMFG" might be in the ball park.
Friday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
The United Kingdom, in World War I.
Today's question is:
The islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera, and Cabrera, off the Mediterranean coast of Spain, make up the archipelago known as what?
This Sunday is the start of a new Theme Week. Get ready for the excitement!
The United Kingdom, in World War I.
Today's question is:
The islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera, and Cabrera, off the Mediterranean coast of Spain, make up the archipelago known as what?
This Sunday is the start of a new Theme Week. Get ready for the excitement!
Thursday, December 03, 2009
So Little Oversight, So Much Time
Doesn't it just make you furious when someone abuses expense accounts, takes lavish vacations on the taxpayer dime, etc? Well, prepare to be furious.
Someone is supposed to be looking out for the taxpayer. In addition to the crook himself, whom do we we hold responsible?
A top official with the CSU Chancellor's Office wasted more than $152,000 on travel, meals and more, according to a new report from the state auditor's office...
The investigation revealed that Ernst was improperly reimbursed for "unnecessary trips, meals that exceeded the university's reimbursement limits, the official's commuter expenses between his home in Northern California and the university's headquarters in Long Beach, living allowances, home office expenses, duplicate payments, and overpayments of claims."
The official's travel was deemed of little benefit or advantage to the university and included trips to Shanghai, Singapore, London, Amsterdam and Australia.
Someone is supposed to be looking out for the taxpayer. In addition to the crook himself, whom do we we hold responsible?
Agency Fee Rebate
Today I received my agency fee rebate from the CTA. The agency fee rebate is the amount of money that the NEA/CTA/local union admit they spent on activities not related to collective bargaining (e.g., politics) and must refund to those of us who are not union members but are still required by state law to pay a union. This is called a "fair share" situation, wherein we non-union types are compelled to pay our "fair share" for union representation that we don't want; other states are considered "right to work" states, wherein employees have a "right to work" free of compulsory union payments.
My rebate check was in excess of $300, or 1/3 of my annual union dues. Yes, I pay about $1000/year for union representation that I do not want.
That $1000 is divvied up among the NEA, the CTA, and my local union. The following are the rebate percentages for each level for this school year:
NEA: 55% rebate (that means that the NEA spends over half of its money on activities not related to employee representation)
CTA and local union: 28.6% rebate
Additionally, most CTA members don't know that they're "voluntarily" donating $20/year to CTA's political action fund, and can opt out of that "donation" if they wish. It's an "opt out" situation, and CTA rightly figures that most teachers won't go through the hassle. CTA thereby gets an additional $20/year per member to spend on far-left-wing political causes. My rebate check includes the $20 "voluntary dues contribution".
My rebate check was in excess of $300, or 1/3 of my annual union dues. Yes, I pay about $1000/year for union representation that I do not want.
That $1000 is divvied up among the NEA, the CTA, and my local union. The following are the rebate percentages for each level for this school year:
NEA: 55% rebate (that means that the NEA spends over half of its money on activities not related to employee representation)
CTA and local union: 28.6% rebate
Additionally, most CTA members don't know that they're "voluntarily" donating $20/year to CTA's political action fund, and can opt out of that "donation" if they wish. It's an "opt out" situation, and CTA rightly figures that most teachers won't go through the hassle. CTA thereby gets an additional $20/year per member to spend on far-left-wing political causes. My rebate check includes the $20 "voluntary dues contribution".
Thursday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
Presbyterian.
Today's question is:
What country invented and fielded the first military tank?
Presbyterian.
Today's question is:
What country invented and fielded the first military tank?
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Carnival of Education
This week's is here and includes my balanced and thoughtful post about the 32% increase in University of California fees :-)
Let's support the new Carnival of Education. Contribute a post and link link link.
Let's support the new Carnival of Education. Contribute a post and link link link.
Wednesday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
1977.
Today's question is:
Fred Rogers, of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, was an ordained minister in which Christian denomination?
1977.
Today's question is:
Fred Rogers, of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, was an ordained minister in which Christian denomination?
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
I'll Take "False Dichotomies" For 200, Alex
I just can't let this statement from Ole Si Se Puede himself pass without comment:
So we either have no standards and get to teach whatever we want, or we have rote memorization of bureaucrat-approved material?
The man's a genius.
Strike that. He's an idiot.
I remember the way a classroom felt to me before No Child Left Behind (NCLB), when teaching was about encouraging students to learn rather than requiring them to practice rote memorization.
So we either have no standards and get to teach whatever we want, or we have rote memorization of bureaucrat-approved material?
The man's a genius.
Strike that. He's an idiot.
What Does California Educator Magazine Say About The Change In Teacher Evaluation Law?
It says a lot, but I'm reminded of the line from the Simon and Garfunkel song: "people talking without speaking...." Can CTA ever be clear and honest about what's going on?
Last month the governor signed a law that allows what was once forbidden, the tying of student standardized test scores to teacher evaluations. CTA, which long said it would plant its standard on that hill and fight to the death, seemingly ran away from the fight without firing a shot. You might think I'm exaggerating, but let's see the different statements California Educator publishes about this situation:
The first is from Ole Si Se Puede's column:
No reference at all to the change in ed code. So we turn to page 13 and read about the bill that effected the change:
This is not entirely accurate. Let's see what I wrote in October, quoting the major Sacramento newspaper (the embedded link now resides in the "paid archives"):
CTA isn't being entirely honest. Or are they? Because on page 32 they say something else entirely:
Which sentence was deleted, do you think? CTA doesn't say! For grins, let's see what California Ed Code Section 44662 has to say:
I admit to having some difficulty understanding how the two boldfaced sections above aren't contradictory. Still, I ask--which sentence has been removed? I've quoted the sections that deal with teacher evaluation.
Turns out SB 19 relates to something else entirely--databases.
It might seem that this new law affects Section 44662, but that section deals with district-level teacher evaluations. So how does this new law affect teachers? CTA says it, in effect, doesn't:
So what, exactly, does this new law do? What did it change? What does it allow now that wasn't allowed before? How will this state data make its way to my district and be used in my evaluation?
The bottom line is that after all this reading, researching, and writing, I know very little more about the impact of this new law than I did when I began. Clearly this law is a big deal, and it makes a lot of federal money available to California. Instead of essentially saying that there's nothing to see here, please move along, perhaps the CTA could explain, in laymen's terms, what its impact is.
But no, that would be too much to ask. Because if you educate the teachers, they might not always agree with you. Better to keep them in the dark and dependent on your paternalistic benevolence. We know best, trust us--right, CTA?
Last month the governor signed a law that allows what was once forbidden, the tying of student standardized test scores to teacher evaluations. CTA, which long said it would plant its standard on that hill and fight to the death, seemingly ran away from the fight without firing a shot. You might think I'm exaggerating, but let's see the different statements California Educator publishes about this situation:
The first is from Ole Si Se Puede's column:
The final RTTT (Race to the Top) regulations were just released. We certainly still have concerns and are reviewing all the details, but there were some improvements. The final guidelines include multiple measures of gauging student growth and, in turn, teacher effectiveness. They also call for teacher involvement in designing evaluation systems and provide a fourth option of assistance for helping lower-performing schools.
No reference at all to the change in ed code. So we turn to page 13 and read about the bill that effected the change:
Is it now legal to use student assessments as a component of teacher evaluations?
State law already requires the use of student assessment results in the evaluation of teachers, including the use of criterion-referenced tests as determined by local teachers and administrators. Many districts include student assessments as one component of evaluations and are using data to improve instruction, teacher effectiveness and student learning. Those evaluation processes must still be negotiated.Should I be alarmed about the passage of SB 19?
Deletion of the “state firewall” language regarding student and teacher data systems does not impact state collective bargaining law or local bargaining agreements. The state does not evaluate teachers and this bill doesn’t create a statewide evaluation system.
This is not entirely accurate. Let's see what I wrote in October, quoting the major Sacramento newspaper (the embedded link now resides in the "paid archives"):
Sunday afternoon Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that took away the biggest obstacle to the state winning a share of $4.35 billion in federal Race to the Top funds for education.
Senate Bill 19, authored by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, eliminates a statewide ban against tying student test scores to teacher evaluations.
CTA isn't being entirely honest. Or are they? Because on page 32 they say something else entirely:
The measure, SB 19, by state Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Santa Clara), deletes a sentence in the state's Education Code that forbids using a state education database for purposes of teacher evaluation or pay.
Which sentence was deleted, do you think? CTA doesn't say! For grins, let's see what California Ed Code Section 44662 has to say:
44662. (a) The governing board of each school district shall establish standards of expected pupil achievement at each grade level in each area of study.
(b) The governing board of each school district shall evaluate and assess certificated employee performance as it reasonably relates to:
(1) The progress of pupils toward the standards established pursuant to subdivision (a) and, if applicable, the state adopted academic content standards as measured by state adopted criterion referenced assessments.
(2) The instructional techniques and strategies used by the employee.
(3) The employee's adherence to curricular objectives.
(4) The establishment and maintenance of a suitable learning environment, within the scope of the employee's responsibilities.
(c) The governing board of each school district shall establish and define job responsibilities for certificated noninstructional personnel, including, but not limited to, supervisory and administrative personnel, whose responsibilities cannot be evaluated appropriately under the provisions of subdivision (b) and shall evaluate and assess the performance of those noninstructional certificated employees as it reasonably relates to the fulfillment of those responsibilities.
(d) Results of an employee's participation in the Peer Assistance and Review Program for Teachers established by Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 44500) shall be made available as part of the evaluation conducted pursuant to this section.
(e) The evaluation and assessment of certificated employee performance pursuant to this section shall not include the use of publishers' norms established by standardized tests.
(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed as in any way limiting the authority of school district governing boards to develop and adopt additional evaluation and assessment guidelines or criteria. (boldface mine--Darren)
I admit to having some difficulty understanding how the two boldfaced sections above aren't contradictory. Still, I ask--which sentence has been removed? I've quoted the sections that deal with teacher evaluation.
Turns out SB 19 relates to something else entirely--databases.
(1) Existing law establishes the California Education Information System, which consists of the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) and the California Longitudinal Teacher Integrated Data Education System (CALTIDES). Existing law requires that data elements and codes included in the California Education Information System
be maintained in compliance with specified provisions of law...
(2) Existing law prohibits data in CALTIDES from being used either solely or in conjunction with data from CALPADS for purposes of pay, promotion, sanction, or personnel evaluation of an individual teacher or groups of teachers, or any other employment decisions related to individual teachers.
This bill would delete this prohibition.
It might seem that this new law affects Section 44662, but that section deals with district-level teacher evaluations. So how does this new law affect teachers? CTA says it, in effect, doesn't:
CTA legal experts point out that SB 19's deletion of an Education Code sentence regarding the use of CALTIDES data in teacher evaluations "has no direct impact on any evaluation provisions in collective bargaining agreements. It does not supersede, nullify or require any changes to existing language that has been collectively bargained. It does not change existing Education Code provisions regarding evaluation, nor does it mandate making a change in evaluation procedures."
So what, exactly, does this new law do? What did it change? What does it allow now that wasn't allowed before? How will this state data make its way to my district and be used in my evaluation?
The bottom line is that after all this reading, researching, and writing, I know very little more about the impact of this new law than I did when I began. Clearly this law is a big deal, and it makes a lot of federal money available to California. Instead of essentially saying that there's nothing to see here, please move along, perhaps the CTA could explain, in laymen's terms, what its impact is.
But no, that would be too much to ask. Because if you educate the teachers, they might not always agree with you. Better to keep them in the dark and dependent on your paternalistic benevolence. We know best, trust us--right, CTA?
The President's Speech Tonight
Before I state why I was underwhelmed, let me offer my congratulations and thanks to the Corps of Cadets for acquitting themselves marvelously. There were more than polite to their commander-in-chief, a man I understand isn't extremely popular at West Point.
Now, my bullet-point issues with the President's speech:
--The word victory wasn't used once. When you're addressing soldiers, especially when the subject is war, mention winning.
--The President doesn't have a firm grasp of history, especially regarding the Vietnam war. It was not a "popular uprising" by any stretch.
--The President's policy of turning the fight over to the Afghanis, while important, reeks of "vietnamization". We cut off support to the South Vietnamese too soon, and the results speak for themselves. Two words: reeducation camps.
--Timetables don't win wars. Overwhelming force wins wars.
--Based on this president's timetable, General McCrystal has about a year to win the war. I wonder if the "tolly-bahn" will have anything to say about that?
--Can you quit with the digs at your predecessor already?
--You can try to rewrite history, Mr. President, but that doesn't make it so.
--Last spring the president said, "I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future." If that's the case, why did it take him 3 months to act on his hand-picked general's recommendations? And to say that his 3 month wait didn't have any impact was disingenuous at best.
--"Years of debate over Iraq and terrorism have left our unity on national security issues in tatters, and created a highly polarized and partisan backdrop for this effort." And who is responsible for that? (Hint: it wasn't President Bush.)
--He came across as angry, or at least sternly lecturing.
What wasn't so bad:
--It seems he's begrudgingly come around to the realization that the Surge in Iraq worked, and that Iraq is now a stable country. What was it he said in July 2007? "Here's what we know. The Surge has not worked."
--He laid out a "why we fight" argument.
--He's providing the troops.
I guess we'll see what happens.
Now, my bullet-point issues with the President's speech:
--The word victory wasn't used once. When you're addressing soldiers, especially when the subject is war, mention winning.
--The President doesn't have a firm grasp of history, especially regarding the Vietnam war. It was not a "popular uprising" by any stretch.
--The President's policy of turning the fight over to the Afghanis, while important, reeks of "vietnamization". We cut off support to the South Vietnamese too soon, and the results speak for themselves. Two words: reeducation camps.
--Timetables don't win wars. Overwhelming force wins wars.
--Based on this president's timetable, General McCrystal has about a year to win the war. I wonder if the "tolly-bahn" will have anything to say about that?
--Can you quit with the digs at your predecessor already?
--You can try to rewrite history, Mr. President, but that doesn't make it so.
--Last spring the president said, "I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future." If that's the case, why did it take him 3 months to act on his hand-picked general's recommendations? And to say that his 3 month wait didn't have any impact was disingenuous at best.
--"Years of debate over Iraq and terrorism have left our unity on national security issues in tatters, and created a highly polarized and partisan backdrop for this effort." And who is responsible for that? (Hint: it wasn't President Bush.)
--He came across as angry, or at least sternly lecturing.
What wasn't so bad:
--It seems he's begrudgingly come around to the realization that the Surge in Iraq worked, and that Iraq is now a stable country. What was it he said in July 2007? "Here's what we know. The Surge has not worked."
--He laid out a "why we fight" argument.
--He's providing the troops.
I guess we'll see what happens.
Tuesday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
1848. The first large influx of people were then called '49ers, based on when they arrived.
Today's question is:
In what year did Elvis Presley die?
1848. The first large influx of people were then called '49ers, based on when they arrived.
Today's question is:
In what year did Elvis Presley die?
Monday, November 30, 2009
Affirmative Action In Higher Education
It's been said that affirmative action does nothing more than replace malignant racism with benign racism. This article backs up that statement:
For every lesser-qualified kid who gets into a school because of the color of his skin, a more qualified kid is excluded from that school because of the color of his skin. Is that really so benign?
Using the National Study of College Experience (NSCE) — a collection of information from eight anonymous elite colleges — authors Thomas J. Espenshade and Alexandria Walton Radford are able to calculate various applicants’ odds of getting into a school. They discover some mildly interesting trends regarding social class (more on that later), but their results for race are truly stunning. After academic performance and demographic factors have been taken into account, black applicants are more than five times as likely as whites to be accepted at NSCE private schools, and 220 times as likely to be accepted at NSCE public schools. Asian applicants, meanwhile, are only about a third as likely as whites to get big envelopes from private institutions, and one-fifth as likely to gain admission to public ones.If I were Asian, I'd be more ticked than I already am.
Putting preferences in terms of test scores, at private schools, blacks get an advantage, compared to whites, worth 310 SAT points (out of 1600), Hispanics an advantage of 130, and Asians a disadvantage of 140. At public schools, the authors present the difference in ACT points: blacks 3.8 (out of 36), Hispanics 0.3, Asians –3.4.
If we look at students who actually matriculate, blacks are far more likely than whites to come from the bottom 80 percent of their high-school classes (27 percent versus 12 percent), have high-school GPAs of B+ or below (32 versus 18 percent), and have SAT scores below 1000 (21 versus 2 percent).
The logical conclusion from this mountain of evidence is obvious: Top-of-the-line schools use severe racial preferences. (boldface mine--Darren)
One important thing to bear in mind is that the authors’ sample — the elite schools in the NSCE — is not representative. Without affirmative action, the minority students who failed to get into NSCE schools would likely go to lower-tier schools rather than skipping college entirely. It’s hard to tell what would happen at those lower-tier schools.
For every lesser-qualified kid who gets into a school because of the color of his skin, a more qualified kid is excluded from that school because of the color of his skin. Is that really so benign?
Which Organization Is The Largest Political Spender In America?
Think about it for a moment. Trial lawyers? Wal*Mart? AARP?
Nope:
I'll be sure to mention this the next time some liberal (usually a fellow teacher!) mentions how much money business spends on politics.
My solution to getting PAC money out of politics? Limit government. The only reason people spend on politics is they want the power of the federal government to swing their way; get rid of the power, and there's no reason for people to spend their money that way.
Nope:
Since the rise of the Internet, we have been able to more easily track political spending. The Center for Responsive Politics has led the way in documenting and accounting for all the different ways money is spent on federal campaigns. Alas, tracking similar spending at the state level has been more of a hit-or-miss proposition. Disclosure laws vary from state to state, and electronic reporting of results has been sporadic.
Until now. CRP joined forces with the National Institute on Money in State Politics to produce the first comprehensive report of political spending at both the state and national levels. The organizations combined spending on candidates, parties and ballot initiatives to come up with a total for each of the nation's special interest groups. The results should give pause to those who think the biggest political spenders must be Big Oil, Wal-Mart and the pharmaceutical, banking and tobacco industries.
By far the largest political spender for the 2007-08 election cycle was the National Education Association, with more than $56.3 million in contributions. The teachers' union outdistanced the second-place group by more than $12 million...
Just to put this in perspective, America's two teachers' unions outspent AT&T, Goldman Sachs, Wal-Mart, Microsoft, General Electric, Chevron, Pfizer, Morgan Stanley, Lockheed Martin, FedEx, Boeing, Merrill Lynch, Exxon Mobil, Lehman Brothers, and the Walt Disney Corporation, combined.
I'll be sure to mention this the next time some liberal (usually a fellow teacher!) mentions how much money business spends on politics.
My solution to getting PAC money out of politics? Limit government. The only reason people spend on politics is they want the power of the federal government to swing their way; get rid of the power, and there's no reason for people to spend their money that way.
Ceremony at West Point
I received permission from the MOPH Public Relations Director to print this release in full:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Springfield, VA November 24, 2009
National Commander Jim Sims Welcomes Five West Point Cadets into The Military Order of the Purple Heart
On Saturday, November 14, National Commander Jim Sims was invited to attend a football game between the USMA and VMI at West Point. Between quarters, Commander Sims and five Cadets, each of whom was a Purple Heart recipient, were called to the 30 yard line, where he presented each Cadet with a lifetime membership in the MOPH, a Purple Heart commemorative wristwatch, and his personal “Commander’s Challenge Coin.” Amid the thunderous cheers of their fellow cadets, the following cadets were recognized:
Cadet Tyler Gordy, Class of 2010 and First Captain of the Corps of Cadets, is a Purple Heart recipient from Newcastle, California. While on patrol in Mosul, Iraq on September 12, 2003 a thrown hand grenade exploded inside his vehicle, leaving Cadet Gordy with shrapnel wounds to his legs, arm, and face. Despite his injuries, Cadet Gordy returned fire, giving others time to provide medical care and remove his fellow wounded soldiers from further danger.
Cadet Matthew Gilbert, Class of 2011, a Purple Heart recipient from Belgrade, Maine was conducting maneuvers during an engagement in Mosul, Iraq on September 17, 2005. After clearing and securing the first of three houses containing hostile enemy, CDT Gilbert’s squad came under heavy enemy machine gun fire. In the ensuing battle, Cadet Gilbert was struck in the forehead by shrapnel from an RPK round.
Cadet Benjamin Ordiway, Class of 2012, a Purple Heart recipient from Champion, Michigan was clearing a canal road of mines in Turki, Iraq on November 15, 2006, to allow access to set up a hasty patrol base. Cadet Ordiway was providing security for the entry point just as one of the gun trucks passed over an emplaced mine, wounding Cadet Ordiway with debris from the engine block.
Cadet Idi Mallari, Class of 2012, a Purple Heart recipient from Chicago, Illinois was conducting operations at a patrol base in As Sadah, Iraq on April 23, 2007, when two SVBIED’s penetrated their perimeter barriers and exploded, killing 9 and injuring more than 30 of his fellow paratroopers. CDT Mallari himself sustained shrapnel wounds and abrasions from the two blasts.
Cadet Sean Staggs, Class of 2013, a Purple Heart recipient from Alta Loma, California was on a combat patrol in Baghdad, Iraq on October 21, 2007, when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. The explosion shattered Cadet Staggs’ left ankle.
According to Cadet Mallari a few days later, “Many cadets have come to me and thanked me for my service more than ever, and I think cadets understand the sacrifice Soldiers in the service make every day in combat. They appreciate what Soldiers do. The ceremony was a great opportunity to remind the Corps of Cadets that as cadets, we need to get ready to lead the men in the Army once we graduate USMA.”
The organization now known as the "Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A. Inc.," (MOPH) was formed in 1932 for the protection and mutual interest of all who have received the decoration. Chartered by the Congress, The MOPH is unique among Veteran Service Organizations in that all its members were wounded in combat. For this sacrifice, they were awarded the Purple Heart Medal. With grants from the MOPH Service Foundation, the MOPH and its Ladies Auxiliary promote Patriotism, Fraternalism, and the Preservation of America's military history. Most importantly, they provide comfort and assistance to all Veterans and their families, especially those requiring claims assistance with the VA, those who are homeless, and those requiring employment assistance. Through the VAVS program, MOPH volunteers provide assistance to hospitalized veterans at VA sites and State Veterans Homes.For information contact:
National Public Relations Director, John Bircher, 352-753-5535
(Photo credit: USMA)
Monday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
Moby Dick.
Today's question is:
In what year was gold discovered at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, igniting the Great California Gold Rush?
Moby Dick.
Today's question is:
In what year was gold discovered at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, igniting the Great California Gold Rush?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question, the last of Star Trek Week, is:
Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one.” (Don't worry, though—he was brought back to life in ST III, because the needs of the franchise outweighed the needs of the many.)
Today's question is:
From which classic American novel did the Starbucks coffee chain get its name?
Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one.” (Don't worry, though—he was brought back to life in ST III, because the needs of the franchise outweighed the needs of the many.)
Today's question is:
From which classic American novel did the Starbucks coffee chain get its name?
I Should Apply
The University of Leeds needs a lap dance researcher:
My experience isn't very recent, dating back to my time in the army in the late 80's at two particular clubs in Colorado Springs (neither exists anymore), but I'm sure I could do a good job.
If I get the job and the research leads to conclusions that aren't politically correct or that go against my own biases, I can always take the lead of the Climate Research Unit at East Anglia and just fudge the data to my liking.
The advertised position, in the School of Sociology and Social Policy, is for: “Research Officer - The rise and regulation of lap dancing and the place of sexual labour and consumption in the night time economy”.
The advertisement further stipulates that “prior experience of conducting research in the female sex industry” is essential.
My experience isn't very recent, dating back to my time in the army in the late 80's at two particular clubs in Colorado Springs (neither exists anymore), but I'm sure I could do a good job.
If I get the job and the research leads to conclusions that aren't politically correct or that go against my own biases, I can always take the lead of the Climate Research Unit at East Anglia and just fudge the data to my liking.
College Students and Internet Gossip Sites
Honestly, the first thing I thought when I read this article about internet gossip sites, and how college students are using them, was "The students using these sites are the same people who expect the taxpayers to pay for their education and who took over school buildings to protest a fee hike."
*The linked article mentions such pictures on the gossip sites but certainly doesn't show any. In the paragraph above I was taking artistic license to make my point.
The kinds of comments that used to be scrawled inside a bathroom stall are now posted for the world to read on Web sites encouraging college students to talk trash about their classmates.That girl in the picture, the one with her pants pulled down for all to see*? She was probably yelling at university administrators that she shouldn't have to pay more for college.
*The linked article mentions such pictures on the gossip sites but certainly doesn't show any. In the paragraph above I was taking artistic license to make my point.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Saturday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
NX-01.
Today's question, the last for Star Trek Week, is:
In which Star Trek movie did Mr. Spock die?
NX-01.
Today's question, the last for Star Trek Week, is:
In which Star Trek movie did Mr. Spock die?
Friday, November 27, 2009
Where's Nanny?
A Republican-controlled Congress passed a ban on internet gambling, and a Democrat-controlled Congress wants to overturn the ban:
So the Republicans, which used to be the party of small government, individual responsibility, and getting government off the backs of the people, passed this nanny-state law. And the Democrats, who feel you're not capable of making any decision without Uncle Sam's oversight, permission, and involvement, want to overturn this ban--Sam will give you "free" health care so you can blow your money playing online poker.
Our political class has lost it. Is there no one with any common sense working in the Congress or White House? I fear the answer is "no, there is not."
The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve are giving U.S. financial institutions an additional six months to comply with regulations designed to ban Internet gambling.
The two agencies said Friday that the new rules, which were to take effect on Dec. 1, would be delayed until June 1 of next year.
A key Democratic opponent of the ban on online gambling praised the action and said it would give Congress time to overturn a law passed in 2006 when Republicans controlled Congress.
So the Republicans, which used to be the party of small government, individual responsibility, and getting government off the backs of the people, passed this nanny-state law. And the Democrats, who feel you're not capable of making any decision without Uncle Sam's oversight, permission, and involvement, want to overturn this ban--Sam will give you "free" health care so you can blow your money playing online poker.
Our political class has lost it. Is there no one with any common sense working in the Congress or White House? I fear the answer is "no, there is not."
How Many Teachers Get Away With This?
There must be some who get away with having relationships with their students or else there wouldn't be any incentive to try it. But dang! Really? And he's married, to boot.
In his defense, their sexual relationship didn't include full-on intercourse. Great defense.
And had the sexes of the parties been reversed, it's easy to believe the punishment would not have been as much.
A married PE teacher who had a sexual relationship with a girl pupil after seducing her in one-to-one lessons was today jailed for ten months.
Marc Grim, 37, became 'infatuated' with the 16-year-old after teaching her basketball classes at school.
The father-of-two invited her mother to a meeting to discuss the girl's 'sporting ability' and suggested she would benefit from private tuition.
They soon began a sexual relationship and he regularly told her he 'loved' her in exchange for sex acts, Exeter Crown Court heard.
In his defense, their sexual relationship didn't include full-on intercourse. Great defense.
And had the sexes of the parties been reversed, it's easy to believe the punishment would not have been as much.
Friday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
Captain Katherine Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew, captained USS Voyager.
The answer to yesterday's bonus question is:
Captain Rachel Garrett.
I guess everyone was out enjoying Black Friday shopping today, as no one answered either question :(
Today's question is:
In all Star Trek TV series and movies except one, Enterprise's registration was some variation of NCC-1701. What was the registration of the first warp-capable Enterprise, from the series Enterprise?
Captain Katherine Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew, captained USS Voyager.
The answer to yesterday's bonus question is:
Captain Rachel Garrett.
I guess everyone was out enjoying Black Friday shopping today, as no one answered either question :(
Today's question is:
In all Star Trek TV series and movies except one, Enterprise's registration was some variation of NCC-1701. What was the registration of the first warp-capable Enterprise, from the series Enterprise?
A Teacher, A Hero
Last March I wrote a post about Efren Peñaflorida. This month, I get to post about him again:
Efren Peñaflorida, who started a "pushcart classroom" in the Philippines to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership, has been named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year. linkHe definitely deserves the honor.
Climate Change
Worldwide, hurricanes are at their lowest level in 30 years. What was it the Goracle said after Katrina?
CO2 levels are higher than they've been in a couple million years, and the earth isn't heating up.
Not only has climate change data been faked, but the computer code for the climate models was faked, too. If climate change supporters were right, they wouldn't have to lie.
Some will still call me a "denier", but the evidence keeps going my way.
Let's look at the track record of similar scares.
Population bomb
Peak oil
Global cooling/"The Coming Ice Age"
Nuclear winter
Resource depletion of the 90's
Bird flu
SARS pandemic
Global warming
Swine flu pandemic
What do they all have in common? Several things.
1. They all required immense, immediate governmental action,
2. action favored by leftists,
3. action that would have a seriously adverse effect on the global economy and prosperity,
4. to forestall apocalyptic consequences.
5. None of them happened.
I guess a worldwide swine flu pandemic is still possible, but I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch over it yet.
Update, 11/29/09: Looking at the economy like a physicist would leads to an interesting (if inconvenient for some) conclusion.
Update #2, 12/20/09: Here is a good synopsis of what I wrote above:
More and more government regulation does not lead to liberty.
Update #3, 12/20/09: 100 reasons why climate change is natural.
CO2 levels are higher than they've been in a couple million years, and the earth isn't heating up.
Not only has climate change data been faked, but the computer code for the climate models was faked, too. If climate change supporters were right, they wouldn't have to lie.
Some will still call me a "denier", but the evidence keeps going my way.
Let's look at the track record of similar scares.
Population bomb
Peak oil
Global cooling/"The Coming Ice Age"
Nuclear winter
Resource depletion of the 90's
Bird flu
SARS pandemic
Global warming
Swine flu pandemic
What do they all have in common? Several things.
1. They all required immense, immediate governmental action,
2. action favored by leftists,
3. action that would have a seriously adverse effect on the global economy and prosperity,
4. to forestall apocalyptic consequences.
5. None of them happened.
I guess a worldwide swine flu pandemic is still possible, but I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch over it yet.
Update, 11/29/09: Looking at the economy like a physicist would leads to an interesting (if inconvenient for some) conclusion.
Update #2, 12/20/09: Here is a good synopsis of what I wrote above:
Fundamentally, the Malthusian argument goes like this. (A) There isn’t enough of X to go around. (B) Therefore, human aspirations must be constrained. (C) Therefore an authority must be empowered with sufficient force to crush the lives of large numbers of people. Whether the “X” involved that must be controlled is Lebensraum, food, natural resources, or the right to engage in activities that emit carbon (i.e., live), the bottom line is always the same. Contrived scarcity is used to justify tyranny.
More and more government regulation does not lead to liberty.
Update #3, 12/20/09: 100 reasons why climate change is natural.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thursday Trivia
The answer to yesterday's question is:
Commander (later Captain) Benjamin Sisko, played by Avery Brooks.
Today's question is:
Who was the only woman Star Trek series captain, and what was the name of her ship?
BONUS WOMAN CAPTAIN QUESTION:
Who commanded the Enterprise-C in The Next Generation episode “Yesterday's Enterprise”?
Commander (later Captain) Benjamin Sisko, played by Avery Brooks.
Today's question is:
Who was the only woman Star Trek series captain, and what was the name of her ship?
BONUS WOMAN CAPTAIN QUESTION:
Who commanded the Enterprise-C in The Next Generation episode “Yesterday's Enterprise”?
Pilgrims and Socialism
I sometimes forget about this little tidbit of socialism from our nation's past, and experience a wave of joy when I rediscover it. (original post here)
There's much more information at the ellipses. Go take a read--after you have a Happy Thanksgiving.
In 1620 Plymouth Plantation was founded with a system of communal property rights. Food and supplies were held in common and then distributed based on equality and need as determined by Plantation officials...
Faced with potential starvation in the spring of 1623, the colony decided to implement a new economic system. Every family was assigned a private parcel of land...
Once the Pilgrims in the Plymouth Plantation abandoned their communal economic system and adopted one with greater individual property rights, they never again faced the starvation and food shortages of the first three years.
There's much more information at the ellipses. Go take a read--after you have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Men's Groups At Universities
This article about men's groups at Oxford and Cambridge seemed fairly balanced until I got to this part:
Anyone who said such things about women's groups would face "social reprimand", thus showing the author for what she is.
Personally, whenever I see a privileged group claim the need to branch off, I can’t help but be skeptical about whether they just want that “safe space” to justify their own prejudices. Women are overwhelmingly the gender to suffer from sexism and in the ‘60s and ‘70s, when sexism was much more out in the open, women needed a women-only “safe space” so they could unify as activists. What, pray tell, do these supposedly beleaguered men require a similar “safe space” to do? After all, the term “safe space” implies it’s really dangerous out there for you—so what’s with men-only groups, or white-only groups, or Christian-only groups? I wonder if “men’s groups” are just a place to air sour grapes over having to relinquish some of their power and privileges because of feminism, or a place to say sexist and macho things without fear of social reprimand.
Anyone who said such things about women's groups would face "social reprimand", thus showing the author for what she is.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Getting More Minorities To Attend Our Service Academies
This shouldn't surprise me, given the American Left's disdain for the US military:
I guess it's more fun to keep minorities "in their place", reliant on and subservient to their Democratic government masters, than it is to nominate them to a service academy at which they might excel in a meritocracy.
High school students applying to the academies must be nominated by a member of Congress or another high-ranking federal official. Congressional nominations account for about 75 percent of all students at the academies.
Academy records obtained by the AP through the Freedom of Information Act show that lawmakers in roughly half of the 435 House districts nominated more than 100 students each during the five-year period.
But Rep. Nydia Velazquez of New York City, chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, nominated only four students, the lowest among House members who served the entire five-year period. Rep. Charles Rangel, whose New York City district includes Harlem, was second-lowest, with eight nominations. And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose San Francisco district is 29 percent Asian, was also near the bottom, with 19.
In fact, the bottom 20 House members were all from districts where whites make up less than a majority.
I guess it's more fun to keep minorities "in their place", reliant on and subservient to their Democratic government masters, than it is to nominate them to a service academy at which they might excel in a meritocracy.
Wednesday Trivia
Then answer to yesterday's bonus question is:
Constitution, Constitution, Excelsior, Ambassador, Galaxy, and Sovereign.
The answer to yesterday's question is:
Swahili.
Today's question is:
Who commanded Deep Space Nine? What rank was he upon taking command?
Constitution, Constitution, Excelsior, Ambassador, Galaxy, and Sovereign.
The answer to yesterday's question is:
Swahili.
Today's question is:
Who commanded Deep Space Nine? What rank was he upon taking command?
Do You Want Your Kid's Math Teacher To Have A Math Degree?
Maybe you shouldn't, according to this author:
An in-depth knowledge of math is necessary, but not sufficient, for being a good math teacher. There's much more to teaching than just content knowledge.
But let's not downplay the importance of content knowledge.
Ask a parent, politician, or school board member to describe the ideal qualifications of a math teacher, and most would probably rank having a college major in that subject high on the list.
Yet when it comes to improving student learning in elementary and middle school, research shows that the value of that academic credential is limited—at best.
On the one hand, recent nationwide test scores show middle school students taught by a teacher with an undergraduate mathematics major scoring better, on average, in that subject than those whose teachers did not have that degree. Yet many observers view those results with caution, saying the weight of evidence does not show a connection between teachers’ having majored in math and higher student math achievement, particularly before high school...
Math teachers need to “know the subject matter well and how to teach it,” said Deborah Loewenberg Ball, a scholar who has studied math teaching extensively. “The problem is that the math major is not a good proxy for that.”
An in-depth knowledge of math is necessary, but not sufficient, for being a good math teacher. There's much more to teaching than just content knowledge.
But let's not downplay the importance of content knowledge.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)